I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to golf grips, and more particularly to golf grips which assist the golfer in achieving the correct positioning of their hands over the golf club.
II. Discussion
Two common problems for golfers relating to improper gripping of the golf club are that the right and left hand positions are incorrectly positioned on the grip and that golfers tend to grip the club unnecessarily firm so as to interfere with the coordination of the golf swing. With regard to proper hand positioning, often golfers fail to slightly overlap both the left and right hands relative to the center-line of the club shaft when gripping the club. As a result a number of products have been developed to assist the golfer in obtaining a properly overlapped grip. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,046,191 which issued Jun. 30, 1936 to Arthur R. Smith discloses a molded grip having means for separating the second and third fingers of the left hand from the forefinger and smaller finger. The means for separating the second and third fingers of the left hand from the forefinger and little finger include a pair of spaced apart projections wherein the two middle fingers are positioned between the projections and the forefinger and little finger are positioned on opposite sides of each of the projections. The means for positioning the thumbs include depressions spaced apart along the shaft for receiving the right and left thumbs such that they partially overlap the golf club shaft. One problem with the aforementioned grip is that the projections and depressions provided along the grip actually encourage the golfer to grip the club with excessive pressure which is undesirable.
Another golf grip which is designed to accommodate a golfer's fingers such that the thumb and forefingers of each hand are positioned in a partially overlapping or relative V-position along the top of the shaft is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,147 which issued Apr. 16, 1985 to Olsen. This grip includes a V-shaped projection raised from the surface of the grip along the top of the grip and a plurality of notches or grooves for receiving the golfer's fingers disposed on the underside of the grip. Likewise, a second V-shaped projection is spaced apart along the grip for hosting the thumb and forefinger of the golfer's other hand. Again, notches or grooves are provided on the underside of the grip for hosting the golfer's fingers of the other hand. One perceived problem with the aforementioned grip is that the grip is not compatible for golfers having extraordinarily large or small hands.
Another problem with the aforementioned golf grip embodiments is that they generally are not suitable for use by older individuals and those which have a physical disability such as arthritis or an infirm grip. Under many known golf grip embodiments individuals who have arthritis may have difficulty positioning their hands relative to the various projections and grooves which are provided. Quite simply, no variance from the set hand positions would be allowed by such grips.
Regardless of the overall construction of the golf grip, one problem common to the use of all known golf grips is the misalignment of the grip over the golf club shaft upon attachment. Too often when the grips are attached to the shafts, either mechanically or manually, the grip is rotated away from the perceived center-line or is twisted slightly when applied. This misalignment of the grip is especially problematic when specialized grips which include some means for proper hand orientation such as raised projections, embossments or imprints are used. Clearly, when means are provided on the grip for proper orientation of the hands, it is imperative that the grip be aligned properly over the shaft upon attachment. Until now the entire focus of specialized golf club grips has been only with the grip itself, and little or no consideration has been given to proper aligning of the golf club grip on the golf shaft.